Person:William Hosler (1)

Research Notes

• According to the 1880 mortality schedule, both of his parents were born in Canada. In Grace Hooper's Pioneer Notes, based on her interviews with the family, it states he was born of well-to-do parents in Quebec, and was one of nine children. His first son was named Alexander so there is a possibility that his father's name was Alexander. Several people told me he had a heavy French accent.

• I (User:Diane Hosler) could not find William & Jane Hosler on the 1850 DeKalb census so scrolled through the entire township looking for a William and Jane and found William and Jane Shevelere. Ages seemed right and they were living next to Joseph Bresett (one of Jane's brothers?) On my next trip to East Jordan, I asked Dewey Hosler if the family name had always been Hosler, and he said 'no, it use to be Chevalier'. It appears they started to use the Hosley/Hostler/Hosler name between 1850 and 1860. Interesting because in French a 'chevalier' is a knight or horseman, and in English a 'hostler' is someone who cares for horses. A note in the 1880 mortality schedule for William states: "This man's name was Chevalier but they are now called Hosler. it is common for the Canadian French to adopt from translations of their names." It appears William was good with horses because he came to Michigan with a 5-time blue ribbon trotter horse, Jenna, & her 9-month old colt, Mary. His son, Henry, raised beautiful horses, per Henry's grand-daughter Harriet Hosler Kenney.

• They came to Michigan from New York by boat through a very bad storm that nearly collapsed the ship. There is a vivid description of this trip in Grace Hooper's Pioneer Notes. The Hosler, Cole and Murphy men worked together in selecting and establishing their homesteads. At first putting up tepees. They all worked at other jobs.

• In his homestead application, dated Dec 20 1869 in Traverse City MI, William verified he was a citizen of the United States, the head of a family and that his residence was Antrim County. In the Final Proof, dated May 16 1876, Alexander Hosler, his son, and Albert Kenney attested that William was head of a family consisting of wife and twelve children. That he had settled on the land Dec 20 1869 and built a house '..of logs story & half board floor shingle roof & one door & four windows..." and that he lived in the house since Dec 20 1869. Also that he cultivated 10 acres and made the following improvements: "...12 acres more chopped, log barn, 5 fruit trees, 10 currant brush, 100 strawberry plants." All papers were signed with his mark. Description of the property was: 80 acres in the W1/2 of NE1/4 of Section 22, Echo Township, Antrim Co MI.

• In the Biographical History of Northern Michigan, John Hosler said that when they came to Antrim County it was dense wilderness and the '...only direction (they) could see any distance was straight up...'

• For more details see Grace Hoopers Pioneer Notes and the Biographical History of Northern Michigan.

• Three months before his death William and Jane sold the homestead to their son, John, for $100. Witnesses were Ira Morehouse (later Jane's 2nd husband) and John Murphy, their son-in-law. It appears that their son gave them a life lease because on Nov. 21, 1884 Jane released the lease.

• Cause of William's death was dropsy and he wouldn't have a physician, per 1880 mortality schedule.

Marriage Record St. John's Episcopal Church, Ogdensburg NY

1880 mortality record

1880 mortality note re: name change

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Baptism Record, in Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection). 1621-1968..

   Record includes birth date and parents names.

2. ↑ Hooper, Grace L.; Beulah Hooper King; and Betty Beeby. Grace Hooper's Pioneer notes: by trek and sail to Grand Traverse Bay. (Elk Rapids, Michigan: Fen's Rim Publications, 1993)
   pp 295-299.
3. ↑ Death Record, in U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1885 [database on-line].

   National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Non-population Census Schedules for Michigan, 1850-1880; Archive Collection: T1164; Archive Roll Number: 74; Census Year: 1879; Census Place: Central Lake and Echo, Antrim, Michigan.
   -----
   Name: William Hosler
   Gender: Male
   Race: White
   Marital Status: Married
   Estimated birth year: abt 1809
   Birth Place: Canada
   Age: 70
   Death Date: Nov 1879
   Cause of Death: Dropsy
   Census Year: 1880
   Census Place: Central Lake and Echo, Antrim, Michigan
   Enumeration District: 30
   LINE: 23

4. ↑ Antrim County Michigan Burials..
5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 William Shevelere, in St. Lawrence, New York, United States. 1850 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

   Year: 1850; Census Place: De Kalb, Saint Lawrence, New York; Roll: M432_590; Page: 374B; Image: 174.
   -----
   Name: William Shevelere
   Age: 35
   Birth Year: abt 1815
   Birthplace: Canada
   Home in 1850: De Kalb, Saint Lawrence, New York
   Gender: Male
   Family Number: 352
   Household Members: Name Age
   William Shevelere 35
   Jane Shevelere 22

6. ↑ ^6.0 6.1 William Hasley, in St. Lawrence, New York, United States. 1860 U.S. Census Population Schedule.

   Year: 1860; Census Place: De Kalb, Saint Lawrence, New York; Roll: M653_853; Page: 792; Image: 259; Family History Library Film: 803853.
   -----
   Name: William Hasley
   Age in 1860: 32
   Birth Year: abt 1828
   Birthplace: Canada
   Home in 1860: De Kalb, Saint Lawrence, New York
   Gender: Male
   Post Office: Richville
   Household Members: Name Age
   William Hasley 32
   Jane Hasley 28
   Alexander Hasley 9
   James Hasley 8
   Anthony Hasley 5
   Joseph Hasley 4
   John Hasley 3
   George Hasley 1

7. ↑ William Hosler, in Ancestry.com. Michigan, Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 [database on-line].

   United States, Bureau of Land Management. Michigan Pre-1908 Homestead & Cash Entry Patent and Cadastral Survey Plat Index. General Land Office Automated Records Project, 1994.
   -----
   Name: William Hosler
   Land Office: Traverse City
   Document Number: 2578
   Total Acres: 80
   Misc. Doc. Nr.: 3784
   Signature: Yes
   Canceled Document: No
   Issue Date: 15 Aug 1876
   Mineral Rights Reserved: No
   Metes and Bounds: No
   Survey Date: Aug 1876
   Statutory Reference: 12 Stat. 392
   Multiple Warantee Names: No
   Act or Treaty: 20 May 1862
   Multiple Patentee Names: No
   Entry Classification: Homestead Entry Original
   Land Description: 1 WAYNE MICHIGAN-TOLEDO STRIP No 31 N 7 W 22

8. ↑ William Hosler, in Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [database on-line].

   United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007.
   -----
   Name: William Hosler
   Issue Date: 15 Aug 1876
   Acres: 80
   Meridian: Michigan-Toledo Strip
   State: Michigan
   County: Antrim
   Township: 31-N
   Range: 7-W
   Section: 22
   Accession Number: MI2510__.452
   Metes and Bounds: No
   Land Office: Traverse City
   Canceled: No
   US Reservations: No
   Mineral Reservations: No
   Authority: May 20, 1862: Homestead Entry Original (12 Stat. 392)
   Document Number: 2578

9. ↑ The date on his tombstone is 7 Apr 1819.